Wolf Hunt
by Knightwood
Summary: Alternative version of how RJ becomes the Wolf Ranger. RJ's been hiding the effects of his injury for weeks, treating it as a minor injury. Unfortunately he's about to find out how wrong he is, putting the team in danger. Especially a certain cheetah.
1. The Hunt Begins

**Legal notice: **I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, events etc. Anything not covered by these rights is to be considered purely the creation of the author.

**Rating: **T – May be adult material in places, including violence and adult themes.

**Timeline:** A few days following the events of Domestic Situation. Alternative story to how RJ becomes the Violet Wolf Ranger to fit with this fanon. RJ's been hiding the effects of his injury at Dai Shi's hands for weeks, taking it as nothing more than a minor injury. However, he is soon going to find out how wrong he is as the full effects begin to take place, placing everyone on the team in danger, especially a certain Cheetah.

**Wolf Hunt**

RJ was quickly coming to find morning his favourite time of day. Ever since Lily had felt comfortable enough to take the next step in their relationship, she'd been spending more and more time with him. He loved waking up next to her each morning, finding her resting in his arms.

"Good Morning." He greeted the young woman, smiling at her.

"Morning RJ." She replied, looking up at him. "It is still morning isn't it?"

"Yes it is." He reassured her, stroking her neck with his finger, sending shivers through her. She loved the way he'd touch her so affectionately. She'd been a little hesitant at first, but now she loved the way it felt when he touched her. She still wasn't quite ready to go all the way with him just yet, but she felt completely safe in his presence. She knew he'd never take advantage of her. RJ got up from the bed, looking out a pair of boxer shorts.

"You know, you don't have to sleep in the nude every night." She said cheekily, eyeing up his amazing body as he slowly got ready.

"You don't always have to wear those pyjamas." He replied, sitting on the bed next to her, kissing her softly. He felt a warm rush coursing through him as he looked at her, taking in her amazing beauty. He felt his heart pounding faster as he looked at her with his eyes gleaming a little.

"You know some girls would take that as a come on." She replied, pulling back the covers and getting out of the bed, beginning to wander around the room gathering her clothes. He found his eyes drawn to her well-toned butt as she bent down to collect her discarded t-shirt. Lily caught him looking and chuckled. RJ realised at once that he'd been busted.

"Are you enjoying the view?" She asked him, coming over to his side.

"Always." He replied, reaching his arms around her and pulling her in close to him. As their hips came into contact, he suddenly became pointedly aware of her soft breath against his chest. He kissed her deeply, becoming lost in the moment. Suddenly, he felt the sharp pain in his chest again, causing him to release his grip on her. Lily noticed him flinching away from her and came to his side with a look of concern on her face. RJ had tried to keep it from her and the Rangers, but she knew something had happened when he was captured by Dai Shi a few weeks ago. She'd noticed him getting pains in his chest periodically, and it was becoming more frequent since his fight with Master Finn a couple of weeks ago. She'd tried to get him to go and get it checked out, but any time she mentioned it he just changed the subject.

"RJ, is that still bothering you?" She asked him, placing a hand on his chest. "It's been weeks now; maybe it's time to see a doctor."

"It's just a pulled muscle." He assured her. "I'll be fine."

RJ was as concerned about the injury as she was, but he hated feeling like a victim, and he hated going to see doctors. He always felt like it was a waste of time when he could still function, but he knew deep down that Lily was right. It had been a lot longer than he would have expected it to take to recover. It hadn't bothered him much at first. He barely even noticed the injury Dai Shi had inflicted on him most of the time, but it had been exacerbated by his trial by combat with his dad a couple of weeks previously. He resolved to put a heat pack on it later to ease the pain, but right now he just didn't want Lily to fuss over him anymore.

"Would you at least promise to get it checked out if it gets worse?" She asked him. RJ looked at her, smiling warmly. It was kind of sweet that she was so concerned about him, but he really could live without her mothering him.

"I'll be fine. I'll stick a heat pack on it after breakfast." He told her, pulling on his jeans. "I could just murder a steak sandwich."

"You want another one?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows. She'd known he was partial to a bit of steak, but the last few days especially; he seemed to be living on the stuff. He'd been eating them with such regularity; it seemed as if he was on a mission to wipe out every cow in California. "Wouldn't you like something else?"

"I'm a big boy." He told her, noting her expression. "I think I can decide what to have for breakfast by myself."

"Well at least cook it this time." She laughed. "I know you like your steak rare, but that last one was so red, you could have brought it back with CPR. It was practically still walking around."

RJ rolled his eyes and kissed her again as he pulled on a jersey. He could really live without her questioning every little thing. A soft knock came at the door.

"RJ, a package arrived for you." Casey called through. "It's a FedEx from San Angeles.

"It's here." He called out excitedly, rushing out of the room, almost bowling Lily over and throwing open the door, snatching the box from his hands.

"Lily!" Casey stammered, seeing Lily standing in the bedroom in her pyjamas, he began to turn red and tried to find somewhere else to look. Lily pulled the covers off the bed and wrapped them around herself.

"RJ!" She shrieked, smacking his upper arm as she tried to cover up her dignity, giving him a death glare that would have turned the bravest of hearts. RJ though was paying no attention, instead tearing open the package with the care of a six-year-old at Christmas.

"What's going on?" Theo asked, walking up to the door and finding the scene unfolding before him. His eyes met with Lily's, now it was his turn to join Casey and Lily in their embarrassment.

"Would everyone PLEASE stop just wandering into bedrooms?" Lily shrieked, looking around desperately for somewhere to hide. She returned to the bed, turning her face from the assembled Rangers in the hope that the earth was about to swallow her whole. "We have doors on the rooms for a reason you know."

"What's going on...?" Fran wandered in, joining in the mutual embarrassment as RJ finished with the packaging.

"Why don't I just start charging admission?" Lily groaned. "I feel like a damn stripper! Would everyone PLEASE get out?"

RJ held up the small purple device, presenting it to the Rangers.

"I asked Andrew Hartford to make me another morpher." He informed them, strapping the device to his left wrist. "I'll be joining you in the field from now on."

"That's great RJ!" Lily snapped sarcastically. "Maybe I'd be a bit more excited if I wasn't standing half naked in front of half of my closest friends!"

"Oh!" He gasped, now realising his faux pas. In his excitement to retrieve the morpher, he'd been completely oblivious to Lily's situation. "Ummm...sorry Lily I..."

"GET OUT!" She called out, throwing her friend out of the room, by now her humiliation all but complete. RJ stood in the hall with the other three, shrinking a little as they chorused a sucking of teeth. Lily slammed the door loudly behind them.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" He surmised as the door slammed shut.

"Oh no." Casey sighed sarcastically. "I'm sure Lily just loves being paraded half naked around the apartment."

"Look on the bright side." Theo groaned. "At least she did have her pyjamas on."

"So how much begging do you think I'm going to need to do?" He asked them.

"Well I'd say that you have a lot of making up to do when she gets out of there." Fran told him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I'd say chocolates, roses, champagne..."

"Which one?" RJ asked.

"All of them." Fran answered. "And that's just for starters. Do you realise how embarrassing that would have been or her? Hell we're all still the same shade as Casey's uniform, and we weren't the ones who were naked."

The three left RJ to his thoughts as they made their way into the restaurant. He knew that they were right, there was going to be hell to pay, and he doubted that Lily would let him off the hook any time soon.

"Oh well, no point going to the dog house on an empty stomach." He mused, feeling his stomach growling loudly. "Time for that sandwich."

Lily came into the restaurant with a look of thunder on her face. Clearly this was what they meant by "if looks could kill." She brushed past RJ, finding him eating his sandwich in huge, ravenous bites. She muttered something under her breath as she saw him; clearly she still wasn't happy about the whole bedroom debacle.

"I see humiliating me didn't ruin your appetite." She grumbled, coming over behind him. She looked in disgust at the sandwich in his hand. "Are you sure it's dead?"

"I'm sorry." He mumbled through a mouthful of steak and bread. "I didn't think."

"Well you should have." She replied coldly, pulling away from him. RJ put his sandwich down on the counter, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into himself.

"You know, I could try and make it up to you." He whispered into her ear, sniffing her hair. Lily was beginning to let up, until the scent of the undercooked meat on his breath snatched her attention back. She struggled out of his grip, shoving him away a little.

"No RJ, I'm serious, I'm still mad at you!" She snapped in response. "You can't just go and act like nothing happened, that was so embarrassing."

"You know you look so amazing, you have nothing to be embarrassed about." He chirped cheekily. Lily just groaned and stormed from the kitchen, her mood not having improved. RJ watched her go, his eyes taking in her amazing figure as she left. His mind drifted to...

He pulled himself back from those thoughts. He'd upset her and put her in a terrible mood, but all he could think about was how turned on he was while she was yelling at him? Why was he thinking like this? He was waiting for her; he was letting her take her time. He picked up his sandwich again, chewing it with the enthusiasm of the possessed. What was wrong with him today?

Lily stormed around the tables, tidying up the condiments as she worked off some of her frustrations. She didn't know why, but RJ had just started behaving like a complete ass since he'd woken up that morning. He'd seemed to turn from the considerate, caring man she'd come to love into some kind of Neanderthal without warning. It all seemed to start right about the time he'd had that pain in his chest. Maybe he was hurt more badly than he was letting on? Lily shook her thoughts clear and returned to her cleaning. Why was she trying to make excuses for him? It didn't matter how hurt he was, he shouldn't be acting like that. Wiping the table aggressively, she sent the cheese shaker flying by accident, smashing it on the floor.

"Bloody hell!" She roared, beginning to pick up pieces of glass. She recoiled sharply as she cut her finger on a shard of the glass.

"Damn it!" She grumbled, holding her hand up to prevent the blood flowing any faster than it was. She made her way back into the kitchen, finding RJ finishing off his sandwich.

"What happened?" He asked her, looking at the injury as he came to her side, inspecting the wound.

"I cut it on some glass." She told him. RJ inspected it thoughtfully, feeling his heart racing as he watched the bright red blood running down her hand. He placed her finger in his mouth and sucked it gently, soothing it a little.

"RJ, what are you doing?" She asked him.

At that point, their morphers bleeped, alerting them to the danger in the city as Dai Shi attacked. Lily eyed him suspiciously as he rolled up his sleeve, preparing to activate his morpher for the first time.

"Jungle Beast, Spirit UNLEASHED!" He called out as he activated the switch. Unfortunately, it did not function as intended. As the morpher's power called forth his animal spirit, RJ's injury flared up, glowing brightly as his Wolf Spirit came forth. He ripped the Morpher from his wrist, dropping it to the floor as he staggered around the room, obviously wracked in pain from the energies coursing through his body. In his struggle he accidently kicked the morpher under a nearby table, before falling to his knees.

"RJ, what's wrong?" She shrieked, realising that something had gone badly wrong. She wrapped her arms around her, holding him tightly as fear for his wellbeing crept into her heart. RJ stared at his hands as they sprouted fur and shaped into bestial claws. "RJ answer me what..."

Her words tailed off as he turned back to her, staring at her with glowing yellow eyes. His teeth had formed into fangs. The expression of fear was obvious in his face as he looked at her, though his fear was not for himself. Tears streamed down his face as he felt the feral nature of his animal spirit rising in him. His heart beat faster as he became aware of her scent, even from this distance. He heard her heart beating faster as she beheld him in terror.

"Lily, get away from me!" He growled, feeling the last vestiges of his humanity melting away. He tried to shove her away, hoping to get her away from him as he felt his self-control melting away. "Lily run!"

"RJ what can I do?" She yelled, watching the man she loved changing inside and out. She grabbed him, turning him towards her just as his transformation into his beast form was 

complete. Too late, she realised the danger she was in as he slashed at her chest, sending her to the floor. The back of her head struck the hard concrete stunning her. Lily looked in horror at the injury in her chest, watching her blood flow between her fingers. Looking across the kitchen, she realised her solar morpher had flown out of her pocket with the force of the blow and was now out of reach. RJ approached her menacingly, though by now she was completely unable to move in her terror. All she could do now was watch him cross the room towards her as she tried in vain to scramble away from him.

"RJ please stop this!" She screamed as he pounced on her, tearing at her with his claws. She saw his jaws coming towards her and did the only thing she could, thrusting her forearm into his mouth, preventing the murderous fangs from finding anything more vital. He lashed out repeatedly with his claws, battering and clawing at her ferociously. A heavy blow to the side of her head all but knocked her completely senseless as she felt warm blood running down her face. She fought for all she was worth, but without her morpher, RJ's wolf form was simply too powerful for her to resist. His claws reared up once more, hovering above her ominously. Theo arrived in the kitchen in time to see the creature attacking her.

"Lily!" Theo called out as he arrived in the kitchen. He'd heard the alarm and was on his way to collect her when he found her being mauled by the monster before him. "I call to the beast inside, release the jaguar!" He yelled, casting forth his jaguar spirit, sending RJ sprawling across the floor. Getting up, the wolf realised that its opportunity for easy prey had long since passed and fled the restaurant. Theo wanted to pursue, but realised how badly Lily was hurt and knew that she needed urgent care. She'd already lost a considerable amount of blood, and seemed to be in a pretty bad way.

"What happened?" Casey yelled as he arrived in the kitchen, coming to Lily's side and wrapping a cloth around her arm.

"Lily was attacked by a monster." Theo told him. "It appeared to be some kind of werewolf."

"Not...a...monster..." She croaked as her strength began to fail her. Blood loss was sapping her strength, and she was well on the way to passing out from the pain. "It's..."

"Lily, don't try and talk." Casey instructed her. "RJ can help us get that creature. Just keep your strength up."

"No, you don't understand." She breathed, feeling light-headed as a result of the savage assault. "The creature is..." Feeling her strength leaving her, she tried to reach out, pointing towards RJ's morpher, but it was too far away, and the guys couldn't see it under the table. Lily felt the pain of her failure to tell them the most important piece of information as her injuries finally overtook her and she lost consciousness. Casey picked her up in his arms, carrying her to RJ's van and placing her in the back. "Where the hell is RJ?"

"I don't know!" Theo replied honestly. "He doesn't seem to be here."

"Damn it! We could really have used his help right about now. Stay with Camille and Fran." He told the Blue Ranger. "I'll take Lily to a hospital."

"What about Dai Shi's attack?" Theo asked him. Casey gestured to Lily.

"She needs a hospital." He told the Blue Ranger. "Camille and Fran need you here in case that thing comes back, if RJ comes back, send him after the monster."

Theo wanted to disagree, but conceded that Casey had a point. They were already one Ranger down; the last thing they could afford was to leave the others completely defenceless. Until RJ put in an appearance, they just didn't have the man power to cover everything.

With that, Casey fired up the van and drove off in the direction of the hospital. Theo could only watch helplessly as they left, feeling dejected. They had no idea what had happened to RJ, but they knew that those new Ranger Powers he was harping on about would come in real handy right about now. Whatever that creature was, however it had gotten into the restaurant, he was confident that RJ would want more than a little piece of it right about now. It had hurt Lily badly, and left her for dead. He was sure there'd be hell to pay when he caught up with it.

Late at night, the beast stumbled through the streets of Ocean Bluff, completely lost in a mist of confusion. It stopped by a shop window, staring at its reflection, taking in the form that was not its own. RJ looked down at his claws in horror, seeing them covered in the blood of the woman he loved. He'd never wilfully hurt her, but his animal spirit had completely taken control of his higher reason. He had been acting on pure instinct when he attacked her. He slammed his hands through the window, somehow hoping that destroying his reflection would make the beast no longer exist, but knowing that it would make no difference. Sinking to his knees, he reared his head and bellowed a mournful howl at the moon. He'd almost killed the woman he loved, and there was nothing he could do about it. All he could do was wordlessly beg for forgiveness.


	2. Howling in Pain

Casey arrived back in the restaurant a couple of hours later, finding Theo and Fran finishing clearing up the kitchen following the attack on Lily earlier in the day. Theo immediately stopped what he was doing as the Red Ranger came into the room.

"Lily's stable for now." He told them before they could ask the inevitable question. She's a bit bashed up and she's lost a lot of blood, but they say she should be fine in a few weeks. They want to keep her overnight for observation."

"Did Lily say anything else about the attack?" Theo asked him.

"She was still being looked over when I left." He told them. "I would have stayed, but visiting hours were over."

"You could always have said she was your wife or something." Fran suggested. Casey shook his head.

"It was the same doctor that took care of Camille." He informed them. "Something tells me he wouldn't buy that line since I've used it before."

"Well it's too late to worry about that now." Theo interjected. "While she's in the hospital, she should be safe, we can check on her in the morning."

"Has either of you seen RJ?" He asked. They both shook their heads in response. "Where the hell is he? You'd think he'd want to be in the loop now that Lily's laid up."

"You know it is possible he's out looking for the creature himself." Fran suggested. "He is the wolf guy right? He'll understand how it thinks; maybe he's gone after it."

"That thing tore lumps out of Lily." Theo commented in support of his girlfriend. "He probably saw what happened from the surveillance system, he's probably out for its hide!"

"RJ's not that stupid." Casey responded. "He wouldn't go after it by himself; he'd have taken us with him."

"You do remember that incident with the masters don't you?" Theo reminded him. Casey didn't want to admit it, but Theo did have a point. RJ had fought alone for Lily before, and that time she wasn't even hurt. This time she'd been sent to the hospital. If, as they suspected he had been aware of her injuries, it wasn't a great leap of faith intellectually to think he'd gone out seeking revenge.

"We should keep an eye on the surveillance system." Casey stated as he made his way to the stairs. "If RJ finds that thing, we should be ready to get out there fast. We don't need him getting hurt too."

"Camille and I will mind the restaurant." She told them. "You two just keep an eye out for that thing."

"I'll tell you this much." Theo sighed, bending down to pick up Lily's solar morpher from the floor where it had fallen during the attack. "I'm really looking forward to destroying this one."

As the two Rangers went back up to the back room, they turned their thoughts to their fallen comrade. It still bothered them how the creature could have gotten into the restaurant without anyone finding out about it and taking her by surprise, but right now that wasn't their main concern. They had to find RJ, and they had to destroy the creature for Lily. Little did they know that if Theo had just looked to his left as he picked up her morpher, he'd have noticed that Lily's wasn't the only morpher on the kitchen floor?

The wolf creature staggered into the woods at the edge of town, finding an abandoned cave a little way into the tree line. Making its way inside, it inspected the lair, finding it adequate for its purposes. Feeling safe enough to take stock of its situation, the creature slumped down onto the floor, cradling the injury in its chest. Its breathing became shallower as it allowed its exhaustion to take effect and rest. Feeling safer in this environment, the creature began to slowly change shape. RJ felt his reason and his control returning to him as he slowly returned to his human form.

He looked at his hands again in horror. They were still covered in Lily's blood. He ran his hands through his hair, beginning to cry in anguish as the memories came to him. He wasn't able to control his beast form, but he was more than aware of everything that had happened. He could remember seeing her sprawled across the floor before him. He could remember every strike he'd visited upon her. He could still taste the distinctive flavour of iron on his tongue from when he'd savagely torn at her with his fangs. He was thankful at least that she'd managed to block his jaw with her arm. At least she was still alive when he'd fled the restaurant, but that was all he could be certain of. Seeing a small spring in the corner, he made his way over, plunging his hands into the cold water and beginning to rinse off the blood.

His heart burned as he cursed himself for his affliction. He'd known about his injury, and had been aware that his animal spirit had more sway over his actions since his fight with Dai Shi in the fortress. He'd even felt that getting worse with the injuries he suffered at the hands of his own father in the trial by combat he'd fought for Lily, but now it had completely broken his resolve with almost tragic results. It pained him to think that he had almost killed her with the very power he was trying to harness to protect her. In his vanity he'd asked Dr. Hartford to make him a morpher to join them in battle, and it had almost cost him everything he held dear. He could still feel the wolf spirit pulling for control now; though at present it felt safe enough to remain dormant.

He'd almost killed her once, and he knew full well the only reason he'd fled when Theo had attacked him. He knew he could no longer trust himself to maintain control of the wolf inside him, and that it was only a matter of time before he lost it completely. As much as he knew the Rangers would likely be capable of doing what was necessary, he knew he couldn't risk hurting them or anyone else again. He just needed to do a couple of things first. He curled up on the ground, pulling what little remained of his clothing around himself for warmth. Tomorrow he would ensure that the Rangers would all be safe from him in the surest way possible.

Lily woke up in the hospital the next day, stiff and in terrible pain from the brutal assault the previous night. Her mind was like a smoke-filled room as she tried to remember what had happened. She could remember finding herself on the floor, dazed and confused as the beast loomed over her. She could remember fending off the slavering beast as it tore at her. The searing pain in her arms and chest as it ripped at her aggressively, the unpleasant moistness as the expectant saliva dripped over her while she fended off its bite. She could remember the terror in her heart as she awaited the moment her strength would fail her and she would fall to its bite. She could remember the ringing of her ears and the throbbing pain in her skull as the beast struck the blow she was certain had left her helpless to do anything but accept her fate. She couldn't help feeling that there was something important she was forgetting, but the more she tried to remember the attack, the more clouded and confused her mind became. She couldn't remember who had saved her, only that someone had stepped in at the last minute to deliver her from certain death.

She got images of RJ standing over her as she lay prone on the ground and smiled. She loved him dearly and knew he would always be there for her. She couldn't wait until he would come to visit her. She knew it would be killing him not being with her. She had to admit she could sympathise with that sentiment. She wanted to be with him herself. Fran came into the room a short time later carrying a couple of magazines.

"You must be climbing up the walls in here." She greeted Lily with a bright smile. She came over, hugging her friend warmly. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I spent last night as a werewolf's chew toy." She replied. "Is RJ coming?"

Fran didn't know how to answer. She didn't know where in the hell RJ was. She had guessed that he had gone in search of the wolf creature, but he hadn't come back last night. "He said he'll be along later, he wanted to get you something special." She lied expertly. "He still has to make up for the whole bedroom incident, remember?"

Lily winced in pain as she giggled in response to the memory. She'd given RJ a hard time over the whole affair, and she'd been as mad as hell about it at the time, though for obvious reasons it was now the furthest thing from her mind. "If you see him tell him I don't mind." She replied weakly. "I just really want to see him."

"Personally I'd milk it for a little while." Fran told her, coming to her side and holding her, as she inwardly hoped she didn't notice that she had dodged the issue completely. "Wait until the roses and chocolates come at least before you let him off the hook."

Lily pulled into her friend, taking comfort in the hug. She thought about her situation. Until RJ came to her, she knew what would make her feel better; she just wasn't sure about asking. She finally relented.

"Fran, could you do me a favour?" She asked.

"Sure Lily, I'll do anything." She replied.

Lily pulled away from her a little, trying to find the strength to ask. "There's a leather bound book in the top drawer of my dresser." She told her. "Could you bring it to me?"

Fran looked at her a little surprised. "Of course I will." She answered thoughtfully. "How will I know which one it is?"

Lily had only ever told RJ about the book from her childhood, and he'd bought her the original copy just to cheer her up. It always made her feel good to have it close by, and it always cheered her up to hold it. She sighed tried to restrain her embarrassment.

"It's a kid's book; it's called 1000 Romantic Fairy Tales." She told her, explaining its significance. The next part was a half-truth. "It's an original copy that I've had since I was a little girl. It just makes me feel good to have it around, you know?"

"I understand." Fran replied, holding her hand. "I still have my first teddy bear. I'll bring it later today."

"Thanks Fran." She replied. "Oh, by the way, you wouldn't mind keeping this between us would you?"

"Of course I will." Fran chuckled as she got ready to leave. "If I can help it, Theo's not finding out about Mr. Cuddles until we're married."

"You're thinking that far ahead already?" Lily asked her.

"Not seriously." Fran replied. "I was just saying that every girl likes to keep a few secrets to herself. I'll be back later, OK?"

"I'll see you then Fran." Lily stated as Fran left the room. She still felt a little let down that RJ hadn't come to see her, but Fran had assured her he'd be there later. She lay back down staring out the window wishfully. She wanted nothing more than to see his face again.

RJ, however, wasn't having such a pleasant time. He made his way into the alley behind the restaurant, waiting for an opportunity. He kept his breathing shallow and concentrated on keeping his heartbeat as low as he could while he watched the back of the restaurant. He knew that while Lily was out of action and he was MIA, the guys would most likely be concentrating on the surveillance system and leaving the girls to the restaurant. He hoped for some good fortune, waiting for an opportunity to slip in unseen. He didn't want to risk being cornered by any of his friends, if he turned again, he wouldn't be able to guarantee their safety. Fortunately Dai Shi didn't disappoint, a couple of hours into his observation, he saw the guys slipping out the tunnels and away into the city. Pulling what little remained of his clothing around him, he made his way to the back door, unlocking it as quietly as he could, and going inside.

He locked the door behind him, before making his way cautiously into the back room. Checking to ensure the coast was clear, he made his way quietly into Lily's bedroom.

It was probably not the best idea to come here, he knew from the moment he arrived he'd not want to leave, but he knew he had to for the sake of his friends, especially Lily.

He opened the drawer of her dresser, finding the two copies of the same book sitting there. The tattered old paperback she'd taken with her everywhere since childhood and the leather bound original copy he'd given her a couple of months ago. He stuffed them both into a pillow case, before turning to leave. The pillowcase caught a picture frame, knocking it onto the floor where it smashed. He bet down, picking up the picture. It showed RJ and Lily holding each other warmly outside the funfair that had come through town a few weeks back. It had been taken for them on their first date since she had recovered her eyesight. He could remember everything about that night, it had been so important to both of them. He'd maxed out his credit card ensuring they had a great time, but he hadn't cared. All that mattered was the smile on her face, and the warmth of her touch as they embraced outside the fair. He drew his fingers across her image longingly. He knew he couldn't stay, but that didn't make the thought of leaving her any easier. Tears rolled down his face as he thought about her. She loved him and she trusted him, and yet he had hurt her. He had no choice but to leave and leave for good.

He suddenly became aware of someone else in the back room. He shoved the picture away also, trying to remain quiet as he listened at the door, his breathing growing faster. He heard footsteps coming towards the door. As the door started to open, his heart pounded faster. There was nowhere to go, he was cornered, trapped. He needed to get out, and there was only one way. He reared up ready to strike.

Before he could though, he suddenly regained composure and slammed himself into the door, slamming it shut. He couldn't hurt anyone else, he wouldn't. He needed to get out. He grabbed the bed side table and threw it at the window, shattering it with ease, before throwing himself through, raking his flesh painfully on broken glass as he went through it. He got up as quickly as he could, before sprinting away as he felt his fangs growing. He needed to get somewhere his wolf spirit would feel safe before it was too late.

Fran picked herself up from the floor outside Lily's room. "Who's there?" She yelled in a panic. The door had been thrust backwards into her aggressively sending her flying as she reached it. Someone was in the apartment, and it couldn't be either of the guys, they'd never go into Lily's room without permission. "Guys, someone's in the apartment!" She screamed, hoping to attract attention. She heard a tremendous crash from inside the room.

Deciding she could no longer wait for support, she picked up a tonfa from RJ's weapons rack. She hadn't studied much, their lessons tended to end in pointless flirtation, but Theo had begun teaching her how to use the side-handled club. She burst quickly through the door, finding the room empty and the window smashed. She looked around to see if anything had been taken. She noticed that a picture was missing from a frame that lay on the floor, but everything of value was still there. The room wasn't even disturbed particularly much. The drawer of Lily's dressing table was open, and another bedside table was on its side near the window. Obviously that's what had been used to break it. She approached the window thoughtfully. No glass had fallen into the room, and she'd heard it breaking meaning that it had been broken from inside the room. Approaching it, she saw blood on the shards hanging in the frame, confirming her suspicion, that was how the intruder had left the apartment, but that didn't explain how he had got in. Remembering why she was there, she looked into the open drawer, finding it empty. "Why would anyone steal Lily's book?" She asked herself.

Later that night, RJ had managed to calm himself enough to restrain his animal spirit, though not without cost. He'd almost attacked another of his friends, and had injured himself further in the process. He didn't have much clothing left, but he had been forced to use much of it as dressings for his new wounds. He looked like a hobo who'd been thrown through barbed wire, but that was the least of his worries. He didn't want to take any more risks, but there was one more thing he had to do before he put his plan into action. As soon as the coast was clear, he snuck into the hospital, making his way towards the recovery ward. He made sure to not attract attention to himself as he made his way through the corridor, before finding the room he was looking for. He slipped inside, finding the woman of his dreams sleeping soundly. He made his way over to her, before leaning over and kissing her gently on the cheek, being careful not to wake her. He placed the leather bound book on the table beside her.

"Goodbye." He whispered, preparing to leave. He began to panic as he heard familiar voices heading up the corridor. All four of them had come; obviously they'd closed the restaurant. He began grunting and snarling in pain as the injury in his chest burned painfully. His heart raced and his breathing became rapid. He felt his fangs growing and the fur beginning to form on his flesh. The struggled to regain control, but it was already too late. Casey arrived in the room first, his face twisting into a mask of rage as he prepared a guard, pulling out his solar morpher.

"Come back to finish the job have you?" He roared, switching to Ranger form. RJ spun around, looking for a way out, finding that in the commotion, Lily had been wakened. He looked in the window, beholding his reflection, confirming that the transformation was complete. Snarling at his attackers as they entered, he threw himself through the window and into the night.

"Lily are you alright?" Theo asked her, rushing to her side.

"How did he get here?" She shrieked, grabbing her book and clutching it to her chest for comfort. "He was in my room, how did he get here?"

Lily took the book back from her, holding it closely and weeping loudly. Her friends could all see that she was terrified by the attacks on her by this creature, and the one person she wanted to see was nowhere to be found. They comforted her as much as they could as she pulled into the covers, trying to make sense of everything. Why was RJ not there for her? He was always there for her. He always made her feel better, so why had he abandoned her now when she needed him the most?

Meanwhile back at the cave, the wolf monster arrived, considerably slowed down by its injuries, though far from dead, though he would probably have welcomed it by now.

RJ regained control again, slowly changing back into human form. He was spending longer as a wolf, and it was becoming harder to control. He knew that it would not be much longer until he would lose control completely.

He pulled a length of chain and a pair of padlocks from the pillow case. Making his way over to a stone pillar that had formed where a stalagmite and stalactite had run into each other, he struck it, checking it for strength and satisfied himself that it was sturdy. He wrapped one end of the chain around the pillar and locked it shut. He was going to wrap the other end around his left ankle, but stopped as he remembered the legends he'd heard about wolves. It was said that if trapped in a gin trap, they had been known to chew through their own ankles to escape. In his human form it would not be physically possible, though in his beast form...if it was desperate enough...he couldn't take the chance. He wrapped the chain around his neck, snapping the lock shut before throwing the keys well beyond the chain's reach. Now it would be impossible for him to escape of his own volition, no matter how desperate his beast form got.

Tears streamed down his face as he confronted his fate. He would have no glorious end like the masters of the past. Lost to his beast form, he wasn't even able to end his own life directly; any attempt to do so would cause the wolf's survival instinct to take control once more. No, he had been reduced to starving to death alone in a cave. Only one thing gave him the strength to do what he must. He pulled the photo and the paperback from the pillowcase, observing them with sadness before clutching them to his chest and sobbing loudly.

"Goodbye Lily." He sniffed, holding them close. "Please know that I'll always love you."


	3. Discovery

Legal Notice: The scene with Grizzaka being brought into the throne room has been kept as close as possible to the script of the show, only adapted in small ways to fit with the current fanon. Needless to say where the script overlaps with the show, Disney own the rights, I don't.

Dai Shi sat on his throne, still nursing the grave injuries he'd suffered at Casey's hands only a short while ago. Without Camille, and in his current state, he couldn't maintain his campaign against the Rangers. He knew that Grizzaka blamed him for their defeat in the beast war, and that he'd no doubt feel that his newfound reliance on a human form was a sign of weakness, but he had no choice. He had dispatched Jellica and Carnisoar to revive the last of the overlords to augment his own power. Since they'd achieved Jungle Masters mode, he was no longer strong enough to take them on himself, especially now that he was injured. The doors to the throne chamber flew open behind him.

"We've returned with the third overlord Dai Shi." Carnisoar announced, striding into the room.

"I have come to pledge my allegiance to you Dai Shi." Grizzaka greeted him regally, sinking to one knee. Dai Shi turned the throne to face him, exposing his frail, injured human form.

"What? A human?" Grizzaka sneered, disgusted at the fall from grace of his former master. "Dai Shi in a weak, human form? And injured too? No doubt by one of those pathetic Power Rangers that Jellica and Carnisoar have been telling me about."

"I returned you to life Grizzaka." Dai Shi reminded him in a sneer. "You will now serve me and help me regain my great powers!"

"No mere human gives me an order!" He snapped, surging up the plinth and grabbing his bandages roughly, launching him across the room. "10,000 years ago you lead us and we were destroyed. Now I'm in charge."

Dai Shi pulled himself to his feet, grunting through the pain of the effort. "You've bitten off more than you can chew!" He roared, powering up into his armoured mode. The two warriors fell upon each other in savage battle, neither seeming to gain the upper hand in any real way. They each slammed a fist into the other's chest, separating a short distance. Dai Shi stood tall, but was thankful that his helmet prevented Grizzaka from seeing the look of pain on his face. His injury had been brutally hammered by the last shot. He knew he needed to end this quickly if he was to come out on top.

"I call on the mighty lion!" He called out, sending forth his lion spirit. Grizzaka drew his claws.

"You are powerful Dai Shi." He snarled, dashing aside the Lion spirit. "But I am more powerful." He swiped his claws, striking Dai Shi's chest hard. He tumbled down the plinth to the floor. Grizzaka summoned forth his power, creating a dark aura around himself that grew slowly outwards.

"He has zukado power?" Dai Shi gasped in disbelief.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Carnisoar observed.

"How did he master it?" Dai Shi questioned them.

"It takes great skill." Jellica told him. "Zukado power takes tremendous energy."

Grizzaka roared loudly as the energy wave surged forth, slamming Dai Shi into the wall with incredible force. He fell to the floor, losing his armoured form energy. He looked up from the floor, pulling himself to his knees as he held his chest, struggling with his wounds. He knelt before Grizzaka, humbled by his defeat, forced to accept his leadership. He was no match for him in his current condition.

'If Grizzaka can master zukado power,' he thought to himself as he bowed his head to his new master, 'then so can I.'

In her room in the hospital, Lily was finding it impossible to sleep. The wolf had attacked her for the second time in as many days. She still felt hurt that RJ hadn't been to see her. He could imagine him leaning over her, kissing her, touching her and making her feel warm and safe again.

As she shifted beneath the covers, she released her grip on her book a little, suddenly getting the realisation that she had no idea how it had gotten there. She'd asked Fran to collect it for her, she'd just assumed she'd done so, but she now realised that the others had only arrived when the wolf beast had wakened her. That meant the book was already there, but how? She suddenly understood. The image in her mind of RJ being by her side in the room was no mere wish or dream, it had happened. He'd brought the book, he had kissed her cheek. Memories rushed back to her about the day she was attacked. She now remembered everything. RJ had lost control of his wolf spirit after activating the morpher. He was the wolf; he had been the one that attacked her.

She turned, hanging her legs over the edge of the bed and forcing herself painfully to her feet. She knew she probably shouldn't even be thinking about getting out of bed, but she didn't have the luxury of waiting to recover before she went to him. RJ needed her now more than ever; she couldn't let him face this thing on his own.

Casey, Theo and Fran knew they were underage, but they didn't care. The incident in the hospital had left Lily in such a state that they could all do with a drink, and so had helped themselves to some of RJ's Saki. Fran was pondering everything in her mind as she sat in RJ's chair by the surveillance monitors. Something bothered her about the way everything had gone down, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe looking at old footage would help.

"Tomorrow, I say we go looking for that thing." Casey snapped, slamming down his glass. "It's obviously got something against Lily, and she's in no state to fight. We need to take it out before it finally succeeds."

"I'm with you a hundred percent." Theo gasped, rocking uneasily in his chair. The Saki obviously affected him much more potently than it did Casey, likely because of his small stature.

Fran continued to watch the monitors, half wanting to reprimand the guys over their macho caveman attitudes, until something caught her eye on one of the monitors on the day Lily was attacked.

RJ was closing in on her, and then he touched the device on his wrist. Suddenly he seemed to be rolling around on the floor in pain.

"I'll tell you one thing, if we find RJ; I'm going to break every bone in his body!" Casey announced. "He said he loves Lily; but then this happens and he's nowhere to be seen. I can't believe he's left her like this!"

Fran watched as RJ ripped the device off his wrist, and in his writhing had kicked it. She re-wound the footage and watched its path again. It flew underneath the kitchen table.

"Your right Casey, I used to look up to RJ but he's a scumbag!" Theo snapped in response. "Lily's in pieces and he's off hunting some wolf, which so far we've found twice and he's managed to miss every time. He hasn't even been to see her since she got hurt."

Something about Theo's last statement struck a chord with Fran, something that she hadn't noticed when they were in the hospital, they were all too busy calming her down. Lily was holding something, clutching it to her chest for comfort as though her life depended on it. She couldn't quite recall what it was, and her thoughts were interrupted as something happened on the screen. She saw him change, before lunging at her. She needed to re-run the footage for confirmation, but she realised it was true. Her jaw almost hit the floor as she realised with horror what she had found out. RJ wasn't hunting the wolf, he WAS the wolf! She ran from the room, barrelling down into the kitchen.

"Where's she going?" Theo asked.

Fran arrived in the kitchen, throwing aside the table hurriedly, finding the confirmation of everything she'd figured out. She bent down, picking up RJ's wolf morpher as tears began to form in her eyes.

"You figured it out too." Lily stated, announcing her arrival, causing Fran to snap round to look at her. Lily approached her slowly, cradling her chest and limping painfully towards her. "We need to find him and help him, we owe it to him."

"Lily, you shouldn't be here." Fran gasped, coming to her friend's side to help her in the door. "You should be at the hospital..."

"I checked myself out AMA." She interrupted, handing her the book and hanging an arm around her friend to help support her weight. "I love him Fran, I need to help him. Would you do anything different if it was Theo?"

"I don't suppose I would." She replied, helping Lily towards the stairs.

"What's going on Fran?" Theo asked as he heard the door opening. "We've got enough to worry about."

"Yeah, RJ's gone chickensh..."

"Casey, if you dare complete that statement I'm going to kill you myself!" Lily interrupted him aggressively. Both Casey and Theo snapped to their feet.

"Lily, what are you doing out of the hospital?" Theo asked her.

"I'm here to help with the wolf monster." She replied as Fran helped her into a chair. "We have to save RJ."

"What are you talking about?" Casey asked her. "RJ's looking for it as..."

Fran turned the monitors towards them, replaying the footage. They stared in disbelief as it finished. Casey stared at Lily with tears in his eyes, unable to think of anything he could say or do to comfort her. She must have been going through hell.

"So RJ's the wolf?" Theo asked, hoping that somehow they would tell him it wasn't true.

Fran threw the wolf morpher onto the table in front of them.

"He also broke into here to get my book because he knew it would make me feel better." Lily told them. "He must have brought it to me a little before you arrived."

"That's why the wolf was in the hospital." Theo concluded. "He went to see Lily."

"But he put her in danger by going there!" Casey yelled passionately. "He..."

"He never attacked us, he ran." Fran explained. "He gave her what he knew would help and then he left with a memento. He took a picture from her room."

"Why?" Theo asked her.

"I think he wanted to say goodbye." She continued. "I've known RJ a long time, and I've never known him to care about anyone as deeply as he cares about Lily. He'd never hurt her intentionally, he'd do anything to stop that."

"Anything?" Casey asked. "What do you mean by that?"

Lily looked at him with an unspoken sadness in her eyes that was too deep to even allow tears to flow, gesturing Fran over to hold her for comfort. She knew her suspicion was likely to be correct, and it didn't bode well for him, or her. "I think he's going to guarantee our safety in the most obvious way he can." She explained. "I think he's going to kill himself."

"He can't do that." Camille announced reminding the others she was also in the room. "I think I know what's going wrong. I think he's losing control of his animal spirit."

"How's that possible?" Casey asked. "I thought the animal spirit lived in harmony with its bearer."

"Usually it does, but under two circumstances it can take control." She told them. "If the bearer of an animal spirit accesses his beast form for too long, and commits murder in cold blood, he will be trapped in beast form forever. It's like when an animal kills and eats a human for the first time. It becomes drawn to them and continues to kill, it becomes a habit. If the bearer of an animal spirit kills in cold blood, then the animal spirit becomes feral and takes over. The overlords were all human at one point, but all three of them have been trapped in their beast form since the beast war."

"But you can still turn human." Casey pointed out. Camille held his hand, looking into his eyes.

"I never killed in cold blood." She told him. "I always refused. I have killed in self defence before in the heat of battle, but I've never killed anyone who was helpless."

"That's why you stopped me from killing Jarrod." Casey surmised. "You did it to save me." Camille nodded to confirm this.

"You said there are two ways the animal spirit can take control." Theo stated, bringing them back to the problem in hand. "Since RJ can still change, he obviously hasn't killed anyone yet."

"Just like the true animal whose form it takes, if an animal spirit is injured, then its survival instincts take over." She told them. "Dai Shi was trying to pull RJ's animal spirit from him when he hurt him. I think when he injured RJ; he injured his wolf spirit too."

"But he only started to change recently." Theo stated.

"He changed after he tried to use the wolf morpher." Lily recalled. "Maybe something went wrong that made his injury worse, which is why he's now losing control."

"What were you doing when he changed?" Camille asked her. Lily cast her mind back to the day of the attack.

"We were fighting." She stated. "I was mad at him about the way he'd been acting, but it was obviously his wolf spirit. I feel so bad, if I'd known I'd never..."

"Where were you in the room?" Camille interrupted.

"I was somewhere in the middle." Lily replied. "What does that...?"

"Where was he?" Camille asked.

"He was in the corner." Lily gasped, realising what she was getting at. "He was hurt, he was in a fight and he was cornered..."

"The wolf spirit took over and escaped the only way it could." She explained.

"But he's only attacked Lily." Fran reminded her. "In the apartment and the hospital he escaped out the window."

"When an injured animal is cornered it will look for the quickest escape route." Camille told them. "Both other times he had another way out, it was easier than fighting to run out the window."

"But in my case there was no other way but through me." Lily surmised. "But why did he press the attack so viciously?"

"How did you feel when he changed?" Camille asked her. Lily thought about it realising what Camille was pushing towards.

"I was scared of him." Lily admitted. "He smelled my fear."

"So the wolf's survival instinct will stop him from killing himself." Theo concluded, sitting down on the couch.

"It stops him killing himself directly, yes." Fran sighed, realising what his plan was. "I couldn't find the chains he uses to lock up the sandwich boards at night. I thought he just misplaced them."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Casey asked.

"He might not be able to kill himself." She began, holding Lily more closely. This was probably the last thing she would want to hear. "But if goes somewhere there's no food, and makes it impossible to escape..."

"He'll starve to death. We need to find him quickly before he kills someone, or himself." Casey announced, getting up from his chair. "I'll use the surveillance system to see if we can find out where he went. Theo, look through RJ's address book, see if you can contact Andrew Hartford. He made the morpher; maybe he knows what went wrong."

They all split up into their respective duties, hoping that they were not already too late.

In the cave, RJ felt the first of his hunger pangs. It had now been over a full day since he'd last eaten. He knew that it wasn't going to be a pleasant way to go, but he couldn't end his life any quicker way. He heard a small squeaking sound, and looked around finding a couple of rats scurrying around. Feeling his fangs growing he knew that the wolf spirit was taking control once more. He could now smell the rodent's scent as he approached them, turning once more into his beast form.

He lunged at them; though they were a little beyond the chains reach. It snapped at his throat, holding him fast. He snarled at the startled rodents as they scurried quickly from the cave. His plan was working so far; his wolf spirit couldn't catch them and so couldn't sate its hunger. He lunged forward a couple more times, struggling against his restraints, moving a little further forward.

He turned back around, observing the anchor point in the cave he'd chosen and the human element of his mind realised the grave error he'd made in his plan. The chain was secure enough, but the pillar wasn't strong enough to restrain the powerful beast. It was beginning to give way. As the beast tugged aggressively against its restraints, he realised that he'd failed to keep the others safe from the beast. All he'd accomplished instead was to give the beast even more sway over him by adding another level of desperation to its survival instincts. Now it wasn't just injured, angry and scared. It was also hungry!


	4. Bringing Down the Wolf

Legal Notice: Again, where the script overlaps with the script of the show, Disney own the rights, I don't.

The following morning, Fran was scanning the monitors looking for any signs of RJ. They'd seen that he had gone into the forest at the edge of town, but nothing since then, and that was nearly a day and a half ago. Lily was hardly functioning with worry, and so had been convinced to stay behind with Fran and Camille while Casey and Theo searched the woods.

"That'll probably be Dr. Hartford." Fran stated as a knock came from the back door. Lily hadn't reacted at all, Fran could see how badly this business with RJ was affecting her, and until they could find him, all she could hope was that knowing Dr. Hartford was in Ocean Bluff to help him would be of some consolation to her. Fran went to the door, finding a dark haired man in his forties there.

"Andrew Hartford." He said, introducing himself with a handshake. "We got here as quickly as we could."

A man a little older than herself came into view behind Dr. Hartford. He had light brown hair that was a little curly and green eyes. He was carrying a seemingly impossible load of equipment. Shifting the load a little, he extended a hand and flashed a bright smile at her.

"I'm Mack." He introduced himself.

"I'm Fran, thanks for coming." She rushed out, ushering them in. "Would you like a hand with some of that?"

"Don't worry; I'm stronger than I look." Mack assured her, carrying the equipment into the apartment. He set it down in the middle of the back room, beginning to set up the apparatus.

"Guys, this is Dr. Hartford and his son Mack." Fran introduced them to the others. "These are my friends, Lily and Camille."

"Have you tracked down RJ yet?" Dr. Hartford asked them.

"The others are looking for him." Lily murmured, barely audibly. "We still haven't been able to find him yet."

Fran handed the wolf morpher back to its creator. Dr. Hartford began inspecting it. "He changed for the first time straight after he activated the morpher." She told him. "Can you see anything wrong with it?"

"It looks like it should work fine." He told her, checking over his work. "I think the problem is in how it works. RJ explained a bit about animal spirits to me so that I could make the morphers access the energies they provide. When you activate the morphers, it calls forth far more power from the animal spirit than the bearer usually accesses."

"RJ's wolf spirit had been injured by Dai Shi." Camille explained, moving over to him. "I think calling forth so much of its power only made it worse, that's why he lost control."

"I'll do what I can, to help, but I don't understand animal spirits as much as RJ does." He sighed.

"There are not many people who understand animal spirits as much as I do." Camille interjected. "I've lived with mine for thousands of years, during which time I've accessed the full range of its energies. I'll help you, in the meantime you need to find RJ and bring him here."

"I've brought tranquilisers so that we can bring him down without hurting him too much." Dr. Hartford told them, pulling a rifle out of its case. "All I need is for you to hold him in place while I take the shot."

"We need to find him and stop him before he kills someone." Lily told them. "If he does, then we'll never be able to turn him back. I'll go with you."

"With all due respect, you barely look like you're capable of walking." Mack stated sympathetically, noting her injuries. "Maybe you should stay here, I can help the others."

"I care about RJ, I have to go and help him." Lily screamed at him, getting into the young man's face. "So are you going to try and stop me? Even this beat up I'll still knock you on your ass if you try to stop me!"

"Lily, we all know how much you care for RJ, but Mack's right." Fran tried to reason with her. "You're not in much of a condition to fight right now."

"Also, while we have the tranquilisers, we don't know what might happen out there. We may have no choice but to hurt him." Dr. Hartford explained to her, putting a hand softly on her shoulder. "Do you really think you could do that?"

Lily slumped down onto her chair, completely dejected. He was right; she wouldn't be able to hurt him if it came down to it.

"I promise we'll bring him back." Mac reassured her, showing her his overdrive morpher. "I'm not exactly new to this."

Back in the cave, the beast had all but completely released itself. The pillar was giving way fast. A couple of tugs later, and the stone finally crumbled, releasing the mindless creature. It rushed from the cave in search of something to satisfy its hunger. Making its way through the trees, the creature happened upon a family having a picnic in a clearing. It reared up, preparing to attack, before being struck down by Casey.

"Get out of here!" He ordered the family. Taking one look at the wolf creature, they did not have to be asked a second time. Watching them go, Casey struck the creature again, driving it away. The wolf tore off at incredible speed back towards the town.

"Guys, I've found RJ." Casey told them as he gave chase. "The bad news is he's heading towards the city. Lock onto my signal and get out here."

"Has he attacked anyone?" Lily asked him, hopeful that his attempts to restrain himself had prevented him from feeding during the time it had taken them to find him.

"I don't think so." He replied, ducking through the trees as he continued with the pursuit. "I saw him come out of a cave, and stopped him from attacking a family that were out for a picnic. I think we still have time."

"I'm nearly at your location." Theo called out. "I'll be there soon."

"Try to channel him into the town plaza." Dr. Hartford instructed them, snapping a couple of rounds into his rifle. "We'll meet you there."

"Are you nuts?" Casey snapped. "There'll be loads of people in the plaza."

"Not for long," he answered, making his way towards the door, "besides, I'll need a clear shot, and the plaza's the largest open space in the area."

Mac grabbed his overdrive morpher, activating it and powering up into Ranger form. They both rushed out of the restaurant in search of the beast, hoping to save him before it was too late. Fran came over to Lily's side as she noticed her looking sadly at the door.

"They'll bring him back soon." She said reassuringly, holding her warmly. "We'll save him; you've got to believe that."

"I do believe it Fran, I've got to." Lily whimpered as tears began to slowly fall down her face. "I can't lose him Fran, I just can't."

RJ charged through the streets of Ocean Bluff, desperately seeking a source of sustenance. All around, terrified citizens ran from him in blind panic. The creature almost caught a small child, though fortunately Theo arrived, driving him off.

"That was too close, what took you so long?" Casey asked him as they continued their pursuit.

"I was further away than I thought." Theo answered him. "Dr. Hartford, we're almost at the plaza."

"Mack's cleared the last of the citizens from the area." He responded as he set himself up in position on the second floor of a parking lot. "Try to keep him in the centre of the plaza as much as possible."

"That's easier said than done." Theo remarked. "You should be seeing him right about...now."

The creature ran into the centre of the plaza, before being sprawled across the pavement as Mack knocked it over with his drive lance. The wolf pulled itself onto all fours, snarling at its attacker. It launched itself at him, snarling. Mack barely avoided the attack, reaching out and grabbing the chain around its neck, gripping it firmly.

"Over here!" Casey called out, attracting the creature's attention. Instead of attacking Mack to release itself, the creature lunged at Casey, snapping and swiping at him savagely. Mack held the chain tightly, preventing it from reaching him.

"Take the shot dad!" Mack called out. "We've got him."

Dr. Hartford took careful aim, squeezing the trigger gently, sending a dart flying into the creature's ribcage. It howled in pain, and appeared to grow slightly sluggish, though continued to struggle.

"Dad, hit it again!" He screamed, securing the other end of the chain around a streetlamp, securing it with his drive defender. "Now!"

"I can't risk it Mack!" He called out, shouldering the rifle. "I've already given him a dose that should have put down a bear, it could kill him!"

"Then we'll have to do it the old fashioned way!" Casey sighed. "Sorry about this RJ, but we've got no choice."

Fran saw the events unfolding on the screen and knew that this was not something Lily was going to want to see.

"Lily, you don't have to watch this." Fran started, turning to look at her friend, though finding that she was nowhere in sight. "Lily?" She noticed the back door hanging open, and knew where she had gone.

Back in the plaza, the others were preparing to attack, before their attention was grabbed by the sound of Lily's motorcycle screeching to a halt a little way from them, positioning herself between them and RJ. She pulled off her helmet as she held out a hand to halt her friends.

"Lily, we have to restrain him before the tranquilisers wear off!" Casey told her.

"I can't let you hurt him anymore." She stated flatly, her tears reflecting the mid day sun. She turned around, getting off her bike and making her way slowly towards the snarling beast. "He's been hurt more than enough."

"Lily don't!" Theo called out. "He hurt you last time, he's dangerous."

"He won't hurt me this time." She told him, approaching him slowly, though confidently. "This time I'm not afraid."

The creature thrashed against the chain restraining it, finding itself held firmly in place. Hunger burned in its stomach, ravaging its insides painfully. It watched as Lily approached, swiping once, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"I won't hurt you." She said soothingly as she continued to advance on it. "I'm here to help you."

It sniffed her, inspecting her thoughtfully. The creature could tell from her actions that it meant him no harm. She was here to help. Lily came closer, gently placing a hand on its head, stroking its fur softly. The creature flinched a little, before allowing her to approach, placing an arm around it and continuing to stroke it. The creature's snarls subsided into affectionate whimpers as it leaned into her, nestling into her chest. Lily cradled it closely as the creature slowly turned back into RJ. He pulled into her tenderly as he wept into her.

"I'm sorry Lily!" He whimpered. "Please forgive me!"

"I forgive you RJ." She whispered as she pulled the dart from his side, holding him in her embrace. "I forgive you."

Meanwhile back at the fortress, the overlords were totally oblivious to the situation with the Rangers. They were too busy with the power struggle between Dai Shi and Grizzaka. The others knew that Dai Shi was no match for him in his current condition, but when his injuries had healed and he'd returned to full power that would be a different matter. They knew that their best option stood to back Dai Shi in the long run, but Grizzaka's hatred of his newfound human form and his rage at Dai Shi for losing the beast war were unreasonable, and at the moment it was possible he could destroy Dai Shi. For now, it was best to pander to his position as ruler.

"Lord Grizzaka, perhaps you should teach Dai Shi how to use the zukado powers." Carnisoar suggested. "With those powers at his disposal and him by your side, you will be invincible."

Dai Shi knelt beside the others, humbled by his position and felt rage creeping up in his heart. He had guessed that they were merely trying to manipulate him into bolstering his own strength and returning his dark energies. Why else would they have prevented Grizzaka from destroying him? It galled him to kneel before his former servant, and accept being spoken over by the others as though he wasn't even there, but for now he was forced to bide his time.

"I am invincible without him." Grizzaka stated dismissively, looking Dai Shi in the eyes as he sneered at his presence. "I have no need of him."

"You will need his Rinshi." Jellica stated. "He can lead them for you."

"I do not even need him for that." Grizzaka announced. Dai Shi scowled as bile rose in him, barely able to contain his rage. Grizzaka was now going to take the Rinshi from him? Who did he propose would lead them? Who did he believe would be stronger than himself? Munkeywi leapt into the throne room from his chamber above them.

"Munkeywi, go into the city and gather the fear of the humans." Grizzaka ordered the baboon monster. "Gather their fear to make me stronger. The rest of you may leave me."

Dai Shi hauled himself to his feet and strode from the room purposefully. He needed to train. He couldn't last long in this position, he needed to recover from his injuries and he needed to strengthen his powers. Most of all, he needed to do it soon.

A short time later back at the apartment, Dr. Hartford began preparing equipment for RJ's treatment while the others snapped shut restraints, holding him firmly in place on the work bench. RJ struggled, satisfying himself that he was going nowhere, the last thing he wanted was to risk losing control again. He was grateful though that he'd been given something to eat, he was now no longer feeling the painful twinges in his stomach.

"We'll begin shortly." Dr. Hartford stated as he put the finishing touches on the machine. "From what Camille tells me, it is possible to approach your animal spirit inside your mind, which will give you an opportunity to heal it and regain control."

"How are we going to manage that?" Casey asked him. Dr. Hartford looked at them all, his eyes betraying his nervousness with this plan. Obviously he knew it was risky.

"RJ, I'm not going to lie to you, this will be dangerous." He explained. "The process you have to go through will put your body and your mind under a lot of strain. It's possible you won't survive it, and it's possible you could lose control completely, but there's no other way."

"I understand." He replied as his head was secured to the table. "What do I have to do?"

Dr. Hartford placed a device across his brow, connecting it to the computer. "I want you to meditate deeply to bring yourself to an increased state of consciousness. I'm then going to use the device I've placed on your head to induce an REM sleep." He began. "You should then be able to influence the resulting dream. I'm then going to stimulate your injury with electricity to bring you back to your wolf form."

"You're going to hurt him AGAIN?" Lily shrieked. "This is insane!"

"It's the only way we can bring RJ and his wolf spirit together in his mind in a way he can manipulate." Dr. Hartford responded. "Once there, he has to restrain the spirit while he treats its injury. Once it's healed, he'll have regained control."

"What if he can't?" Casey asked him.

"If he can't heal the wolf spirit, he'll be lost forever." He replied honestly.

"It's only a matter of time before I'm lost if we do nothing." RJ stated. "I'll do it, but firstly I need you to promise me something."

"What is it?" Casey asked him. RJ gestured them over to his side. Lily took his hand gently, squeezing it.

"If something goes wrong, I want you to promise you'll stand aside." RJ said sadly, looking into Lily's eyes as he prepared to complete the hardest thing he'd ever have to ask them to do. "I want you to promise that you won't try and stop Andrew from putting me out of my misery if I'm lost to the wolf spirit."

"RJ, you can't ask me that!" Lily screeched as tears streamed down her face. "I can't do it I..."

"I know you love me." He replied, his own eyes watering slightly. With his head restrained facing the ceiling, his tears began running down the sided of his head. "If the wolf spirit takes over, it won't be me in there. I'll essentially be dead anyway, but I'll be a danger to everyone around me. You know you have to let it happen."

Lily couldn't answer, but nodded her head in understanding. She knew he was right, but it didn't make it any easier to hear. She leaned over, kissing him softly. She let go of his hand and took a couple of steps backwards. She couldn't leave him, not now. RJ closed his eyes and prepared his mind for the journey he was about to take.

"OK Andrew," he began, "I'm ready."

At that moment, the alarms bleeped, signalling Munkeywi's attack on the city. Along with dozens of Rinshi, he was spreading terror through the people of the city.

"Guys, you're needed, go!" RJ stated.

Casey and Theo ran from the restaurant, leaving the others to tend to the fallen wolf master.

"What about Casey and Theo?" Fran shrieked. "Do you think they can handle it?"

"If they need a hand I'll go." Mack stated. "Lily's too badly injured..."

"If they need a hand Lily will HAVE to go." Dr. Hartford stated. "They need her to form the Megazord, and if things go wrong here, we'll need your powers here to deal with RJ." He turned to Lily, inspecting her thoughtfully. "There's no point in risking you needlessly, the guys will have to make do for now. Only go if you absolutely have to Lily."

She nodded her head wordlessly, turning her attention back to RJ as they left. She was torn inside, she wanted to go and help her friends, but she was determined to look after RJ. She knew the others could take care of him, but she wanted to be by his side. In the meantime, Dr. Hartford's plan was probably the best. If the Rangers needed her, she'd be there without a second thought, but right now her place was with the man she loved.

As Dr. Hartford flicked the switch on the machine, RJ fell into a deep sleep, ready for the next stage of the process. Dr. Hartford gestured to Fran to hold Lily; the next part was going to be hard for her. Flipping the second switch, RJ's body writhed and convulsed violently on the table as he turned back into his wolf form.

"It's all up to him now." Dr. Hartford told them. "All we can do now is wait."

Fran pulled Lily in closer as she watched RJ tearfully. It broke her heart to feel so helpless, but she knew she couldn't do anything to help him now. He was on his own.


	5. The Violet Ranger

RJ came round, looking around in confusion as he found himself in the main courtyard at the Pai Zhuq temple. Getting to his feet, he looked at his clothing in confusion. He was wearing his old masters uniform. It was much like the Ranger's uniforms, though the tunic was violet in colour. He knew this couldn't be real, he remembered that Andrew had sent him into his subconscious to face the wolf spirit. Hearing a snarling behind him, he snapped around, seeing his beast form standing a little way from him, beginning to circle him thoughtfully. He pulled a guarding stance, shuffling around to keep him in view.

"Hello old friend." He greeted its arrival. "How are you feeling?"

The wolf gave off a low, rumbling growl as it reared up, getting into position to strike.

"I only want to help you my friend, I mean you no harm." He said soothingly. "I know you're in pain, I'm hurt too, just let me help you."

The beast approached him, bringing its clawed hand down to the ground, narrowly missing him as he threw himself aside. It turned to face him once more as he regained his footing. "Well I guess doing things the easy way's out of the question."

The beast roared loudly as it fell upon him, pressing the attack. Having lived with his animal spirit for his entire life, RJ was pointedly aware of how powerful it was. This was not going to be easy. Watching on in concern, Lily couldn't help being curious how RJ was faring. It was a cruel twist that the battle was going on inside his head. She couldn't even watch what was happening. She shrieked hysterically and moved towards him as she saw cuts which looked like claw marks opening up on his arm. Mack grabbed her and pulled her back.

"RJ!" She wailed struggling against him. If it wasn't for his genetically enhanced strength, he'd probably not be able to hold her. She was struggling like a woman possessed trying to get to his side.

"Lily, you can't help him." Dr. Hartford reminded her. "He's restrained, but he's still dangerous. You have to stay back!"

Unable to contain her tears, she wept loudly as she watched him jerking around as though he was being assaulted by an unseen opponent. Obviously their fears were well founded; this meant that in its injured state the wolf spirit was lashing out at anyone who got close to it. Unfortunately in this instance, that was RJ. He was in the fight of his life and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to help him.

Casey and Theo arrived at the scene, finding Munkeywi and his comrades tearing the place up. He whooped and howled joyfully as he watched the Rangers arrive.

"I really hate monkeys." Casey bellowed as the first wave of Rinshi warriors fell upon them. "How many of these things are there?"

"We've never dealt with this many before!" Theo complained as he dispatched some of the foot soldiers. "We could be in trouble."

"Believe me, you really could." Munkeywi sneered as he dashed the Blue Ranger aside dismissively.

"We could really use a hand about now." Casey replied. As much as he didn't want to ask her to leave RJ's side, and as much as they didn't want to risk her hurting herself any further, they needed her help. There were far too many enemies for the guys to deal with by themselves. "Lily, we need your help!"

Back in the apartment, Lily continued to watch over RJ, so detached from reality because of her concern for his welfare that she didn't even notice her morpher bleeping. She was too busy choking back tears as she watched him being pummelled by his own animal spirit.

"Lily!" Fran screamed, grabbing her friend by the shoulders and turning her to face her. She shook her violently to bring her back to reality. "The guys are calling, they need your help!"

Lily stared at her blankly, her mouth hanging open. She knew Fran had said something, but she couldn't think what. All the sound in the room merged into a kind of unintelligible babble as she awaited word on RJ's condition.

"Lily!" She snapped again, snatching her morpher from her pocket. "The guys need you!"

She began stammering incoherently. She knew what she was trying to say, but her mind was a thick fog of confusion and racing thoughts pounding around in her skull. Her lips completely refused to comply with her commands, spilling forth a cascade of meaningless babble as she gestured wildly with her hands between herself and RJ.

"Lily, Casey and Theo need you!" She yelled, grabbing the back of her head roughly. "You can't do anything for RJ, but he's not the only person we care about who's in trouble. You have to go!"

Camille was pacing nervously as they argued. Lily's mind was so far out of focus that she barely registered anything. Camille looked back to the monitors, seeing Casey take another hard hit as Fran tried to talk sense into Lily. Finally losing patience, she crossed the room, shoving Fran aside and slapping Lily hard across the face.

"If you don't help Theo and Casey they're going to be destroyed!" She snapped at the Yellow Ranger, turning her face towards the monitors. "Get out there!"

Lily looked at her one-time enemy. Fran realised that Camille had gotten through to her. She turned Lily back towards her.

"We'll contact you if anything changes." She assured her. "Now, get going."

Lily looked once more to the table, before rushing to her vine, swinging through the tunnel. As she morphed, preparing to do battle for the sake of her friends, she could only pray that RJ knew she was still with him in her heart.

Back in his mind, RJ hit the ground again as the beast continued its assault. Watching it stalk him, he tried but failed to pull himself back to his feet. By now the wolf was winning by a large margin. Tears of frustration started to run as he realised he had failed. He'd failed himself, he'd failed his wolf spirit, he'd failed the Rangers, but most of all he'd failed Lily. She had so much faith in him, she meant so much to him, but he just couldn't best the creature.

His mind drifted back to all those moments he'd shared with her. He remembered fondly how she'd impressed him with her courage when she lost her eyesight. He could recall the warm thrill he felt as she dragged her fingertips across his face just to see him in her mind. His mind replayed the first kiss they'd shared in the apartment. She was everything to him, that was why she was able to reach him earlier. That was why she could stay the beast's hand. He balled his fists, finding the strength to carry on. He glared at the beast, inspecting it thoughtfully.

"You want to be a wolf, then that's fine!" He snapped, returning to a guarding stance. "I guess it's time to show you who's the alpha male!"

With a savage roar, RJ charged the beast, driving his shoulder deep into its abdomen, driving the air out of it. Grabbing its legs, he continued to drive forwards, bearing it to the ground. RJ mounted its chest as he grabbed its lower jaw, forcing its head backwards. He surged downwards, clamping his teeth firmly around its throat, squeezing just enough that the beast felt it, without piercing the skin. The beast began to whine and whimper in submission, relaxing its muscles as it gave in. RJ released its throat, bringing himself back up to a seating position.

"We've both been hurting too long my friend." He announced, tearing off what was left of his tunic, before grabbing one of its paws and placing it on the wound in his chest. He placed his own hand on the same wound on the wolf beast, and energy coursed through them both. He felt the warm glow repairing the wound.

Back in the apartment, Fran and Camille were staring forlornly at the monitors, witnessing the battle taking place. Their worst fears had been realised, Lily's injuries had indeed proven to be too much for her. She'd helped the guys for a while, but they were once again being overwhelmed.

"Dr. Hartford, send Mack!" Fran shrieked, beholding her boyfriend being battered like a crash test dummy into the ground. "The Rangers need help!"

"I'm hoping that won't be necessary." He remarked, pointing to RJ. The two women turned to observe as the wound in his chest that Dai Shi had inflicted seemed to just melt away into nothing. He stirred on the bench as he changed once more back into his human form.

"RJ, are you alright?" Fran rushed out, running to his side. They unlatched his restraints, allowing RJ to sit up on the table. He rubbed his temples as he shook loose the last of the cobwebs.

"The wolf and I have reached an understanding." He informed them, wearily regaining his feet. "We're back in harmony. For the record though, fighting with your animal spirit? Not to be recommended."

"Well the Rangers are going to be in harmony with the concrete if I don't get out there." Mack told him. "I'll just..."

RJ held a hand across his chest as he observed the monitor. Fury burned in his eyes as he saw Munkeywi beating Lily savagely. He saw her cradling her ribs and knew that the injuries he'd inflicted on her had been her downfall. A couple of fresh tears came to his eyes.

"You've already done enough for me, I'll never be able to repay what I owe you, but this is my fight." RJ stated flatly as his jaw clenched. "Now, where's my morpher?"

Lily was thrown several feet, landing in a crumpled heap near the other two Rangers. They had made an impressive dent on the Rinshi Warrior's ranks, but there were still far too many of them left. By now they were all beaten and exhausted.

"Lily, are you all right?" Casey asked her.

"I'll live." She replied, holding her ribs and pulling herself to her knees. "I can't guarantee how much longer though."

"I can!" Munkeywi sneered as he approached the fallen Rangers. "About another ten..."

His words were cut off as a violet, ethereal wolf rushed him, dashing him aside. The Rangers turned their gaze to the side, seeing RJ standing there.

"RJ?" Casey questioned weakly.

"It's me guys." He responded, looking over to where Lily lay on the ground, their eyes locking with each other in a mutual, unspoken connection. In that moment Lily knew that RJ was hers once more. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she beheld the man she loved standing in her defence.

"Most girls are lucky enough to have a knight in shining armour." He remarked. "I hope violet spandex will do." He pulled back his sleeve, revealing the wolf morpher, activating the switch.

"Jungle beast, spirit UNLEASHED!" He roared passionately, his concern for Lily completely over riding his fear at trying to activate the wolf morpher again. Lily couldn't help but breathe harder as she saw him standing there in his Ranger form.

"With the courage of a wolf!" He called out, preparing a guard. "Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger!"

RJ launched himself into a furious assault, destroying Rinshi Warriors on all side in a terrifying barrage of blows. Finally clearing himself a space, he launched a violet blast from his morpher, destroying the last of the warriors. He rounded on Munkeywi, confronting the beast who had endangered the woman he loved so dearly.

"Think you have what it takes?" He asked the Wolf Ranger in a whooping, taunting Laugh.

RJ didn't back down though, not for one second. A glance over to Lily to check on her condition was all he needed to give him the strength to continue.

"You're going down!" He roared, launching into a barrage of knees and elbows which rocked the baboon deeply. The creature realised too late that rather than weakening his resolve, his treatment of the Rangers had given him the strength that could only be brought on by a lunatic anger. He attempted to flee through the city, but RJ caught him scything him down with a hard kick. Munkeywi pulled himself back to his feet in time to see RJ powering up his wolf morpher. A swift uppercut later and the creature was no more.

RJ turned back to the Rangers, making his way over to them. He extended a hand to Lily, helping her up. Their eyes connected beneath their helmets as he held her closely.

"I may have the courage of a wolf," he began, cradling her chin, "but it was a cheetah that gave me that courage. Thank you Lily, I'd never have been able to tame the wolf spirit if it wasn't for you."

"So you managed to regain control again." Casey stated excitedly. "And you're a Ranger now, this is great."

Munkeywi was revived and grown by dark energies, towering above the city. "Hope you don't mind if I interrupt this little love-fest." He screeched, preparing to attack. "But I'm still kicking."

"We can soon change that." Casey announced. The three Rangers launched themselves into the air, changing into their respective zords.

"Animal spirits unite as one. Jungle Pride Megazord." They chorused, forming the Megazord formation. Munkeywi surged forward, slamming a vicious kick into the yellow right leg.

In the cockpit, Lily screamed and collapsed to the ground in pain.

"Lily!" Casey yelled out in concern. They knew that their animal spirits formed the zords, which is why they were so keenly connected to them. Lily had felt the attack as though it was her that was attacked, and her injuries only weakened her further. The fact was not lost on Munkeywi, who focussed his attack on the right leg.

"Leave her alone!" RJ screamed, launching himself into the air and becoming his Wolf Zord. He launched himself at the creature, mauling it savagely. The creature collapsed to the ground allowing RJ to unite with the Megazord, replacing its right leg.

"Lily, are you all right?" He asked her, coming to her side.

"I'll be fine." She grunted painfully as she tried, but failed to regain her feet.

"You've done more than anyone could have ever expected of you Lily, I'm proud of you, now you can sit this one out." He told her, taking his place in the centre of the cockpit with the others.

"RJ, I can carry on!" She insisted.

"Lily, you've earned it. Let me take it from here." He interjected, gesturing with his hand for her to stay down. "Let me earn my spot. Just know that this wolf always has your back."

Munkeywi regained his feet just in time to see the Megazord launch into a crushing kick.

"Are you ready to finish this?" RJ asked the others.

"You bet!" They chorused together.

"Spin fury!" They yelled together, launching into a series of spin kicks, powering up the Wolf Pride Megazord's ultimate attack. Munkeywi could do nothing to defend himself as he was destroyed utterly.

The Rangers all returned to human form, RJ helped Lily back to her feet, before taking her in his arms, carrying her home.

"Thank you for saving me." He told her. "Now it's time for you to rest. You need to recover; I want you to check back into the hospital."

"But I just got you back." She complained weakly, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'll be here when you get back." He told her reassuringly. "I'm not going anywhere."

The following week back at the restaurant, RJ was wandering around in a daze. The others had already agreed to take over his shifts; he was next to useless to them anyway since his head was so far from straight it wasn't funny. Lily would be home shortly, having spent a couple of days in the hospital under close observation. Unsurprisingly, the battle had severely aggravated her injuries. RJ couldn't wait for her to come back to him, but he still felt terrible about everything that had gone down over his time struggling with the wolf spirit. He didn't even notice Camille arriving in the room behind him. She placed a bowl of chips down beside him and sat down.

"RJ, how are you feeling?" She asked him. He didn't answer; all he could do was stare into space. Camille looked into her chest as she prepared for the next part. "RJ, I know what's bothering you."

"Could it be something to do with the fact that not two days ago I was a werewolf and tried to eat my girlfriend?" He snapped sarcastically.

"Of course that upsets you." Camille replied. "But that's not it. You feel responsible. You weren't in control, you couldn't have stopped it."

"I hurt her once." He sighed, flicking the channel on his TV. "I never thought I could hurt her, not even in my beast form. I love her more than I can say. How could I have done anything like that?

"You're talking to the wrong person about that one." She stated. "I spent thousands of years suffering abuse at Dai Shi's hands. If anyone knows what it's like to be hurt by someone you love it's me."

RJ switched off the TV and set down the handset, turning to face her. She had a point. "The thing that hurt the most when he abused me was the fact that there was always love there. I loved him with all of my heart, that's why I kept forgiving him, and I always knew that he loved me in his own way." Tears began to run down her cheek as she continued. It had been some time since she'd left him for the last time, but the pain was still fresh in her mind when she thought about him. "But the way you're acting, the way you feel right now is why I know the two of you will be fine."

"I don't understand." He replied.

"In all the times he hurt me, he apologised more times than I can count, but he never meant it once." She told him. "There was never any genuine guilt there. He generally tried to turn it around, to make me blame myself. He never once accepted responsibility for what he did to me, and he sure as hell never sat around all day worrying about how he made me feel." She pulled closer to him, holding his hand and squeezing it gently. "It's because of how you feel right now, the way you reacted to hurting her that I know you will never raise a hand to her again."

"Thanks Camille." He responded with a smile, leaning over and placing a hand on her shoulder. He felt a little better at what she had said. He still felt as guilty as hell about hurting her in the first place, but Camille was right. He would never hurt her.

"Remember another thing as well." Camille breathed, looking into his eyes. "This all happened because you tried to deal with everything alone. You didn't tell your friends about your injury, you ran away and tried to kill yourself rather than let the ones who care about you help you."

"I could have hurt them." He explained. "Or worse."

"You would have hurt them if your plan had succeeded." She interjected. "You managed to deal with this because of your friends. You managed to get through this because of your love for Lily. You shouldn't have been running away from your friends, you should have been running towards them."

"But I..."

"Even masters need help once in a while." Camille interrupted him. "I'd never have had the strength to leave Dai Shi if it hadn't been for you guys. I kept going back because I was alone and I couldn't cope. If you'd just relied on your friends from the beginning, none of this would have happened.

"You know, if someone had told me three months ago I'd be having a conversation with you and learning an important lesson, I'd have thought they were insane." He chuckled, squeezing her hand again. "Thank you Camille."

"There's just one more person you have to talk to." Camille told him, gesturing to the door. "You'll never be able to forgive yourself if you don't."

He turned in time to see Lily standing there. He'd completely lost track of the time in his self pity and so Theo had gone to pick her up.

"We'll give you a little privacy." Camille told them, taking Theo and leaving the room. RJ approached her, feeling a bit better about seeing the bright smile on her face that let him know she was pleased to see him again. He placed an arm around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her deeply.

"I could get used to being greeted like that." She said in a giggle.

"Lily, I know I've said it before, but I'm sorry." He told her, looking into her eyes.

"I know you'd never hurt me intentionally." She replied. "What hurts is the fact that you didn't come to me for help. This isn't the first time this has happened. If we're going to work out you have to confide in me."

"As a master, I thought it was my job to take care of the three of you." He admitted. "I felt like I had to deal with my own problems..."

"When it comes to training and Rangering and all that stuff, you're the master. We'll always come to you for that." Lily interrupted him. "But when it comes to problems and life, you're our friend. You can rely on us. RJ, if you want to be with me then you have to be able to rely on me."

"I know that now." He told her, cradling her chin with his hand. "I'm sorry I was an idiot, and I'm sorry I hurt you. Can you forgive me?"

"I already have." She replied, pulling him into a soft kiss. "Now you need to forgive yourself."

"I promise I will." He told her. "Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"A lot better now that I've had a chance to heal up a bit." She responded. "I'm still a bit tender though."

"Well hopefully you're not too sore for this." He said cheerfully, wrapping his arms around her warmly.

"I'll never be too sore for that." She replied, returning the gesture. "That and a little more."

"Are you saying...?"

Lily kissed him tenderly, looking deep into the eyes of the man she loved. "RJ, when I thought I might lose you, my heart just froze. I couldn't imagine life without you. RJ, I'm ready."

"Are you sure?" He asked, releasing her a little.

Without another word, Lily took him by the hand, leading him over to her room. Taking him inside, she smiled at him once more, before kicking the door closed. She'd never been surer of anything in her life.

Meanwhile, back at the fortress, Dai Shi was training hard, pushing himself to his limits. His injuries were not bothering him as deeply, but he was keeping up the pretence to prevent Grizzaka seeing him as a threat. As he practiced, he could feel the energies building in him until he could contain them no longer. He looked on with an evil pride as he realised what he'd done. He had accessed the zukado powers. He couldn't help but smile as he realised this. He would be forced to bide his time a little longer until his energies had completely recovered, but that was a lot closer than he could have hoped. The bear was on top at the moment, but it would not be long until the lion was once again the king of the jungle.

Fin.

Well, that's my version of the story, hope you all liked it. As usual, thanks to everyone who reviewed, your comments are always welcome.


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